Tech Riders and what they are used for

Nov 17, 2017

Preparation is key when it comes to touring and one of the best ways for an artist/band to be properly prepped for a show is to have a tech rider. Massive Act has a great tech rider tool for users to take advantage of, but first you need to know exactly what a tech rider is and why it’s so important for a touring artist/band.

A technical rider, also known as a tech rider is used in the music industry to outline a set of requirements and or necessities an artist/band has to perform. A tech rider can be as simple or as complicated as you’d like in regards to the content, but all tech riders are made up of the same categories:

STAGE PLOT

A stage plot is a graphic representation of the stage. It shows where everything is located on the stage such as power, instruments, musicians and other equipment, and provides dimensional measurements of the stage requirements.

INPUT LIST: An input list is a list of all audio inputs into the sound board including sends and returns from outboard gear, instruments and microphones. It also contains a list of preferred microphones or DI boxes for each channel being used. Some input lists even have a list to allocate monitor sends.

BACKLINE

A backline is a list of equipment an artist/band would like the venue or festival to provide. In some cases, it may be everything the artist/band needs to perform (instruments, amps, etc…), but it usually of larger items like bass cabinets, guitar cabinets and drums since they are harder to transport due to their large size.

HOSPITALITY

CREW LIST

The crew list is used in allocating passes and badges for the artist, band and any other people needed backstage to make the show go smooth. In some cases, a guest list is also provided, again this is to allocate passes and badges.

SETLIST

A set list is the written list of songs an artist/band will be performing during their set. This document gives an idea of how long an artist/band’s set will run, provides a cue-sheet for sound and lighting design and can also be used for royalty allocation.

Now you may be wondering why you should have a tech rider prepared. Well, a tech riders is a useful and essential tool for everyone involved in the concert planning process (venues/festivals, audio engineer and artists) For the venue/festival, it gives detailed information of stage requirements, audio equipment requirements, backline requirements, hospitality requirements, who the artist will have as crew and what songs the artist will be performing. The audio engineer will use the stage plot, the input list, backline list and set list all as tools to help them coordinate their portion of the concert.

What about the artist/band? Well, the artist/band gets the most value out of the tech rider. Once an artist/band sends the tech rider and a venue/festival agrees on that tech rider, it becomes a binding contract. The artist/band can then hold the venue/festival accountable for not providing the specified items requested on the tech rider, and in some cases could be grounds for performance cancellation. The tech rider is a valuable tool that when completed will help an artist/band get more gigs.

Now what makes Massive Act special? Massive Act is a one stop shop that provides all the tools an artist needs to create a top of the line tech rider, then allows that same artist/band to submit it directly to venues/festivals. Currently there are no other software platforms that have all the features Massive Act does. If you’re ready to start touring, join Massive Act today to build your electronic press kit and technical rider, and start booking shows.